The Hollywood Reporter has some more casting details for Drag Me to Hell, the Sam Raimi horror film everyone's excited about (and for good reason -- it looks to be his first real foray into the genre since Army of Darkness). The news isn't as major as when we learned that, say, Alison Lohman signed on, replacing Ellen Page, or that Justin Long joined her -- the new additions are Cloverfield's Jessica Lucas, TV vet Lorna Raver, and character actor David Paymer -- but more notable are the character descriptions that accompany the announcement, which finally give us some hint of what Raimi has in store for us. (No real spoilers, but if you're the kind of person who likes to go in completely cold, best to stop reading now.)
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Sam Raimi Picks Three More for 'Hell', Reveals Plot Details
Continue reading Sam Raimi Picks Three More for 'Hell', Reveals Plot Details
POLL: Is There a Future for Spider-Man?
With the announcement today that Paramount is attempting to lure Sam Raimi into developing and directing several films based on the popular Jack Ryan character, it would certainly appear as if the man is officially done with Spidey. Of course, there's always a chance he'd stay on as producer, but will that be enough to bring back his original cast? Probably not. Paramount is targeting the summer of 2010 for their first Ryan flick, which -- from what we hear -- is right around the same time Spider-Man 4 would hit theaters (if all things stay as planned). The next Superman flick is also supposed to touch down that same summer, so it will be interesting to see a re-vamped Spidey go head-to-head against a sequel they really can't f*ck up.
Variety claims Raimi is not out of the running to direct another Spider-Man film, but since he's in the middle of helming Drag Me to Hell, it would be near impossible for the man to deliver both a new Spidey film and a Jack Ryan film at the same time. Both franchises are in need of some serious work, and it will take time to develop. There's been no word on the current Spidey script, other than it's being worked on -- so for all we know, that could be just about ready to go. Of course, the strike probably didn't help much. What do you think?
Justin Long Heads to 'Hell'
Could Justin Long be the next Bruce Campbell? Yeah, no, but he is going to follow in Bruce's footsteps. As we already know, Sam Raimi is returning to horror with Drag Me to Hell. First Ellen Page was attached, then Alison Lohman replaced her. But what's a good Raimi horror without a leading man? Variety reports that those shoes will be filled by none other than Justin Long, who will play Lohman's boyfriend.Not too many details about the film are being released, other than that it will focus on a supernatural curse that falls upon Lohman's character, and it's a morality tale. Seeing that the boyfriend isn't the star this time around, Long could be movie-long help, or quick curse fodder. If the latter, maybe he'll follow in girlfriend Drew's footsteps and not make it past the opening. I would say he bites it quickly...if anyone other than Sam and Ivan Raimi were behind it. So, all bets are off.
The big question, however, is: What does Raimi horror look like post-Spider-Man? Back in the day, he had Bruce Campbell and low-budget beauty, but a lot has changed since then. Will it be a blast to the past with some new spark, a solid mixture of past and present, or be an effects extravaganza that even Ash wouldn't recognize? And speaking of Ash, what sort of role will Campbell inevitably get in this flick?
Alison Lohman Replaces Ellen Page in Raimi's New 'Hell' Flick
First we reported that Ellen Page would be starring in Sam Raimi's first horror flick in many a moon: Drag Me to Hell is what it's called. Then a few days ago, we learned that Ms. Page's schedule was way too booked with other stuff, so the horror flick is what had to go. Oh well, Page's loss looks to be Alison Lohman's gain.According to Variety, production on Drag Me to Hell will be delayed only two weeks, which gives Ms. Lohman a little time to learn her lines. Alison's actually 28 years old, but dang she looks a lot younger than that -- which is good since she'll soon be playing a high school student. (Or maybe Mr. Raimi will move his story to college?) The good news is that not only is she very pretty, but Alison Lohman has proven to be quite the fine actor. (You'll remember her stuff from White Oleander, Matchstick Men, Big Fish, Where the Truth Lies, and Beowulf.)
So while I definitely look forward to Ellen Page's new flicks, it's cool to see Alison Lohman snag a starring role ... in a horror flick. Production begins in L.A. at the end of the month.
Sadly, Ellen Page is Not Going to Hell
Only a few weeks ago, Scott Weinberg reported that Sam Raimi would be directing Drag Me to Hell, his first new horror flick in many years. To amp up the excitement, it was also announced that Academy Award nominee Ellen Page would be starring as an unsuspecting woman who becomes the recipient of a supernatural curse. This sounded like an awesome combination of director and star, but, alas, Ms. Page has dropped out.Bloody Disgusting reported the news, citing an unidentified source that claimed Ms. Page didn't like the latest draft of the script by Sam and Ivan Raimi and speculating that it was really "Oscar cold feet" that caused her to change her mind three weeks after accepting the role. (That's just silly, by the way: she lost the Oscar and now she gets pickier about her roles?) On the more official front, MovieWeb quoted an e-mail statement from Ghost House Pictures (Raimi's production house) and Mandate Pictures: "We were racing to start production so that we could accommodate Ellen's schedule. But like so many other productions trying to start before the potential SAG strike date, this one needed more time and we had to push back the start of production."
Page has proven in the past, especially with Hard Candy, that she's willing to embrace her dark side, and the idea of her starring as a strong horror heroine under Raimi's direction was compelling, so it's a shame she dropped out. Production was scheduled to start on March 17. With the start of production pushed back, that gives them more time to recast the role.
Sam Raimi to Direct Ellen Page in 'Drag Me to Hell'
For the horror freaks there are few headlines more potentially exciting than "Sam Raimi to Helm New Horror Flick," but this story just got a little cooler. Not only will Mr. Raimi return to direct his first horror film since ... damn since Evil Dead 2, I guess (Army of Darkness is barely a horror film), but he'll be bringing the adorable Ellen Page with him!According to The Hollywood Reporter, Mr. Raimi will settle into the director's chair in mid-April, and the flick he'll be helming is something called Drag Me to Hell. Given that THR offers nothing in the way of a plot synopsis, we can assume that Raimi and his Ghost House Pictures are aiming to keep the details under wraps for now. What we know for sure is that A) Ms. Page is definitely on board, B) the script comes from Sam Raimi and his big bro Ivan, and C) a whole bunch of horror geeks across the globe just started clapping their hands in glee. (Universal chiefs Marc Shmuger and David Linde apparently agree: "Sam Raimi's return to horror is a cause for celebration for horror fans and movie lovers everywhere.")
Given that we love horror flicks, Sam Raimi and Ellen Page a whole lot at this blog ... you can expect a lot more news on Drag Me to Hell as soon as it becomes available.
Sam Raimi to Direct 'Drag Me to Hell' AND (probably) 'The Hobbit' (!!!)
If, like me, you really dug the Spider-Man trilogy, but still held out some hope that director Sam Raimi would one day return to his low-budget horror stomping grounds, well, I've got some pretty excellent news. No, it's not a sequel to (or remake of) The Evil Dead ... but it does sound pretty promising. According to Variety, Mr. Raimi will direct Drag Me to Hell for his Ghost House production shingle, from a screenplay written by Raimi and his big brother Ivan. According to the director's long-time collaborator Robert Tapert, "Sam calls it a 'spook-a-blast,' a wild ride with all the chills and spills that 'Evil Dead' delivered, without relying on the excessive violence of that film."Plus there's (yet another) off-hand reference to the (eventually) impending Evil Dead remake. So overall, that's some pretty excellent news if you're a horror fan. But just as I was finishing up the article, my eyeballs became krazy-glued to the following passage:
"After "Drag Me to Hell," Raimi is expected to go right back up the mountaintop and take the helm of "The Hobbit" films for New Line and MGM now that Peter Jackson has made it clear he won't direct." (The bold-face is mine.)
Boom! I know it's been mumbled about for a few months now, but is that like ... official? (One might expect news like that to warrant its very own article, that's all I'm saying.) But dang. Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson working together?? On The Hobbit? Oh dear lord that sounds freaking awesome. Nobody pinch me.
Sam Raimi on the Possibilities Beyond Spiders, Hobbits, and Deadites
So I just alerted you to all the big Raimi chatter -- the Spider-Man 4 updates, the possibility of him taking on The Hobbit, and of course, the never-ending rumors about another Evil Dead movie. But MTV really hit paydirt with this interview, and has a blog post up to show all the goodies that they couldn't fit in their main piece. There's some grudge, a new project, and a very old one.First up, the news that isn't quite as awesome: In case you haven't gotten enough with The Grudge and The Grudge 2, Raimi will be producing yet another. It's currently being written, and he's not talking about the plot until the script is done. Normally, I'd think this would be a good idea, but does it really matter with this series? I found The Grudge to be one of the least scary movies I have seen in a long time. And looking at the ratings for both on IMDb, I don't think I'm the only one. How low will the ratings get before he stops producing them? Gah!
In better news, he's got a new low-budget film on the way, but unfortunately, he's only producing -- his Second Unit guy on Spider-Man, Jeff Lynch, is taking the helm. Raimi says that it's called Drag Me to Hell, and "it's the story of a curse. Real bad things happen." What would be really awesome -- they combine these two upcoming features into: The Grudge Gets Dragged into Hell and is Never Seen Again! (And no, I don't mean one of those faux "Final Friday" things.)
Finally, Sam Raimi wants to go under the sea. You might remember when the word first came out that he was getting involved in a remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Raimi says it's a "really fine" screenplay, and they're currently looking for the right director, but why not Raimi himself? Especially if he probably won't helm The Hobbit, and might not tackle Spidey again? He says: "I'm a big fan of the first book, as well as the Disney movie that was made many years later in the 1950s. It's screaming for a reinterpretation, because as great as the other picture was, it was 50 years ago now." Put that fandom to use, Raimi! I'd hate to see Leagues suffer the same fate as some other recent action remakes.
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